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Students struggle with transportation
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Dodging vehicles on University Drive and weaving in and out of high speed traffic on Capital Boulevard can be risky business.
Students may notice a particular influx of traffic around Boise State University this semester. Enrollment is at an all-time high, yet, with a bigger student population come bigger problems, the least of which is parking on campus.
“The amount of events have gone up tremendously,” Nicole Bandas, operations manager for Boise State Parking and Transportation Services said. “2005 was my first year and in the football season alone three [parking attendants] were hit.”
Bandas went on to say there were seven instances during the last two basketball seasons where a parking attendant was at least brushed by a vehicle.
“We’re dealing with a population who wants things right now, first … Who is the person doing that and what are they displaying to my staff as well as whoever is with them?” Bandas asked.
Bandas said the individuals driving the vehicles that struck the attendants became angry when they found out they couldn’t park where they wanted and stopped paying attention.
Bandas received word that construction activities for the Bronco Stadium Skyboxes and Suites in the West Stadium lot will begin around Feb. 11. According to some early calculations presented to Boise State Parking and Transportation Services, the current 273 General parking spaces will be reduced down to 166 on Feb. 11. Then on or around April 11, the number of open General parking spaces in the West Stadium lot will fall to 95.
Bandas said her department is trying to grow with the university, and Parking and Transportation Services is trying to provide more spaces, but construction and more students make the task a difficult one.
“We’re looking for alternatives every which way, we’re cutting back on construction space and pushing carpooling,” Bandas said, “[and] the more people that use mass transit, the more routes we’ll have. Our shuttle is up and we’ll give you a free bus pass.”
Boise State contracts with Valley Ride transit. Simply by being a student or faculty at Boise State, you can obtain a free bus pass. By going to Parking and Transportation Services, located on University Drive, across from the Student Union Building, students and faculty can receive a sticker.
They can place this sticker on the front of their student identification card and ride the bus for free on all fixed routes in Boise and Garden City. The sticker only needs to be updated once a year.
Boise State senior Luke Sturdy does not have a parking permit. He said he gave up on getting one about four years ago.
“I do better parking at Anne Morrison or Julia Davis Park and walking from there,” Sturdy said.
He knew about bus routes a few years ago but had to find out where they were and how to use them on his own.
Mark Carnopis, community relations manager for Valley Ride and Kevin Bentner, program development manager for Valley Ride say they have about one million riders per year. They said they are currently looking into a business plan to allow frequent rides on direct and easy-to-use routes.
Due to an increase in gas prices and a percentage of people who indicate they are concerned about air quality, there has been a substantial increase in inter-county riding, Carnobis said.
Bentner and Carnopis said Valley Ride sends specific information to the Student Union Building so students do not have to go through looking at the bigger map. They said they are present at orientation and work with Boise State Parking and Transportation Services to provide various services like free passes.
“We are working … to build a transit center in the Student Union Building, we have a fixed route next to the campus as well. Construction [should] begin next year,” Bentner said.
Carnopis and Bentner said Valley Ride is also looking to build a multi-mobile center in the downtown Boise area that would probably link up with BSU.
Some basic information concerning routes and services provided by Valley Ride can be accessed via their Website at www.valleyride.com. Carnopis and Bentner urge people also to call their offices at (208) 345-7433 to get any other information they need.
Valley Ride buses have routes that take them all over Boise. Two routes important to Boise State students are the number one and two.
The number one provides service between downtown Boise and Southeast Boise, Federal Way and the airport and runs Monday through Friday from 5:15 a.m. to 7:05 p.m. The number two provides service between downtown, Broadway and Southeast Boise and runs Monday through Friday from 6:45 a.m. to 6:55 p.m.
BARRY FRANKLIN